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Thursday, January 05, 2012

As I consider the Identity Crisis and all that entails, I am reminded of 1 Peter 2:1-12. This passage of scriptures lays out several characteristics that you and I, as Christians, should begin to see removed from our lives. The passage continues to identify who you and I in Christ. God considers us to be: living stones, chosen, precious, a holy priesthood, a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own possession, and God's people. Here is the passage:

"So put awayallmalice and alldeceit and hypocrisy and envy and allslander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,

“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,” and
“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called youout of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation." 1 Peter 2:1-12

What does this mean in a nutshell?

We are VERY important to God. We aren't "sinners saved by grace," or "poor me!," or "I'll never be anything." No, this passage says, with Christ you are no longer subjected to the things of this world, but He does the living. If we die to ourselves, which Christ tells us, "Take up your cross..." than we can solely rely on Him for our identity. If He is not your identity or rock bottom, than you need to figure out what is, throw it out and make Him your identity!

God has called you and I to be his ambassador or his representative on earth. When we accept Christ, we must step into salvation, dig deep into his word, prayer, worship Him and fellowship with other believers (talking about Him). Seeking Him and spending time with Him reassures you and I that these scriptures are completely true. How do we build friendships on earth? We spend time with one another. Same with Him, to know Him better we need to spend time with Him.

Stop beating yourself up or tearing yourself down or wallowing in self pity; as believers, be assured that your identity is in Christ and it looks like 1 Peter 2:1-12. Don't listen to me, just read 1 Peter 2:1-12, the Holy Spirit will teach you.

Sweet Quotes:

Jesus said, " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' " (Luke 10:27)"I didn't know that cool was just a myth and that one person was just as beautiful and meaningful as another." Donald Miller"God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing." C.S. Lewis

"Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens." J. R. R. Tolkien

"It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can stop him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important." Martin Luther King Jr.

"If we discover a desire within us that nothing in this world can satisfy, also we should begin to wonder if perhaps we were created for another world." C.S. Lewis"If people look only to their own interests, our world will certainly fall apart." Pope Benedict XVI